TRAVELS IN THE CALIFORNIAS, 
333 
Sixty miles square of productive soil, surrounded with every 
beauty of mountain and forest, sprinkled with sweet groves, 
and threaded with streams of pure water, all under a genial 
climate, render it a magnificent site for the dwellings of man- 
As we pass southward in our geographical view of the 
Californias we find remaining to be described, that belt of 
country extending from the Bay of San Francisco in Latitude 
37° N. to the port of San Diego, in Latitude 32° N., and 
bounded east by the marine range of mountains, and west by 
the Ocean. It is three hundred and fifty miles long, and from 
fifteen to forty miles wide. 
The general aspect of this region is that of an open country, 
varied by patches of trees of noble growth, and with lines of 
the same along the streams. The northern half of it consists 
of rolling alluvial plains without rock or stone, traversed by 
low mountains of porphyry, basalt, and jasper, partially cov¬ 
ered with pine, cedar, and oak forests. The plains between 
these highlands are well watered, and of a rich, enduringsoil 
The southern half of the region is somewhat more broken by 
the mountains ; and is not so well supplied with trees and 
streams. But there are mamy very large tracts of rich plains, 
covered by forests of live oak and other valuable trees; and 
numerous broad prairies, with a pliable and inexhaustible 
soil. Perhaps I ought to say that this is, indeed, the most 
valuable part of the Californias, and true it is, that this belt 
of country, lying between the Latitudes thus named, is the 
crowning glory of Upper California, as will appear on coming 
pages. 
Climate.— For the space of seventy-five miles northward 
from the Cape San Lucas, the air is moistened by the vapors 
of the sea and the exhalations from many parts of the ground. 
The earth is watered by numerous little currents running 
among the hills, and clothed with tropical vegetation. From 
this point, seventy-five miles north of the Cape, to the Latitude 
of Loretto, are high craggy mountains and a barren soil, the 
mere cinders of volcanic action. On account of the increased 
